With its last-minute decision to formally endorse Donald Trump, the National Rifle Association put itself out in front of the fight for Republican party unity.
Just a day later, it’s already taking heavy flak.
Chris Cox, the NRA’s top strategist, was met with raucous applause when he announced to the estimated 80,000 people gathered here for the group’s annual leadership forum on Friday that the nation’s biggest and most influential gun-rights organization was officially backing the presumptive Republican nominee. To endorse so early in the process is virtually unprecedented for the group; they didn’t get behind Mitt Romney in 2012 and Sen. John McCain in 2008 until October.
“If your preferred candidate dropped out of the race, it’s time to get over it,” Cox said.
But not everyone is there yet.
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